Why Teams Claim Self-Management to Avoid Alignment Discussions

TL;DR; Self-management means taking ownership within agreed boundaries, not avoiding alignment or accountability. Scrum teams must align with business goals, agile practices, and delivery commitments while deciding how to work. Development managers should ensure teams are not using autonomy as an excuse to sidestep necessary alignment and accountability.

Published on 18 March 2025

Written by Martin Hinshelwood

1 minute read

https://nkdagility.com/resources/UUh2trdq4D1

Some teams love to wave the “we’re self-managing” flag whenever alignment is discussed. But let’s be real—autonomy doesn’t mean doing whatever you want, whenever you want. It means taking ownership within a shared framework.

Scrum provides a system where teams have the freedom to decide how they deliver, but that doesn’t mean they can ignore Scrum events, commitments, or organisational goals. The Product Owner ensures alignment to business value. The Scrum Master ensures alignment to agility. The team ensures alignment to delivery.

Autonomy without alignment isn’t self-management—it’s dysfunction. True self-management is earned through trust, consistency, and accountability.

So the question is: Is your team truly self-managing, or just avoiding accountability under the guise of autonomy?

Also published on: LinkedIn

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